The Heir of Batman
by Arkham Robin
Summary: Richard Grayson is the heir of Bruce Wayne, but little does he know he may be the heir of Batman as well. This story is action packed and interesting, if you want a great experience, read it!
1. Chapter 1 - The Backhand

**Author's Note** -

Hello there! I appreciate that you've taken the time to read my story! I promise it'll be good. I plan to continue this story for a while, so feel free to review and subscribe! This is my second fanfiction by the way, so I hope it's alright.

 **Rating:** T - _This fanfiction contains violence, language, references, etc. which can be considered not suitable for young children. Please proceed with caution if necessary._

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own DC nor Young Justice. All copyrighted material belongs to its respectful owner.

This story takes place in the future when Richard Grayson is around 23 and Bruce Wayne is around 54.

Please note that this story assumes you have watched Young Justice or know the base of the DC Universe.

* * *

 **[Chapter 1: The Backhand]**

"Nightwing, come in!" shouted Batman over the comms.

"I'm near the docks, it appears the penguin is smuggling some neurotics in." replied Nightwing over the comm.

"Heading over now," Batman said abruptly.

When Batman arrived, Nightwing had been waiting at least five minutes.

"Batman, you know I can handle these types of things on my own," Nightwing said irritated when Batman arrived.

"Hmmph" replied Batman, gruffly. Usually, Batman would give him some lecture on how he's too young and vulnerable to do it on his own, but he didn't this time. Nightwing was a bit surprised.

"I take right, you take left," Batman said sharply as he glided over to his position.

Due to the fact that Batman and Nightwing have been working together for years, they knew each others fighting styles, what to do, where to go, etc. without even speaking. This came to their advantage, especially in situations like this.

Nightwing winced as he heard static on his comm. and shut it off. _Must be the storm_ , he thought. _After all, it was snowing like crazy in Gotham._

"Ah, Batman and Nightwing! I knew you two would be ruining our transaction," said the Penguin as the two heroes took down the Penguin's goons. "It's a good thing I have a backup plan," the Penguin stated, chuckling. Just as he said that, a large truck, which they assumed contained the drugs and neurotics, started driving away rapidly. More goons jumped down from the railing above, surrounding Batman and Nightwing.

"You handle the truck, I have the Penguin and his goons." said Batman.

Nightwing quickly grappled on to the fast moving truck and began to take out the driver and his partner. Batman, on the other hand, had about five henchmen and the Penguin to take down.

"You know how this ends, Penguin," said Batman, growling.

"Oh yes, with your death!" he yelled with an evil laugh, as he shot a bullet from his umbrella almost hitting Batman. Batman quickly reacted. He slammed two of the henchmen's heads together, knocking them both out. He then quickly kicked the other and landed a punch right in the gut, knocking him over. The two remaining henchmen and the Penguin stood in front of him. The Penguin quickly pulled out a large sized knife and started pointing it at him.

"You can't win, Batman!" Penguin growled.

 _Does this guy never get it? He's won every single fight with the Penguin, yet every time he encounters him, he claims that Batman will never win,_ Batman thought.

Batman quickly lurched forward, attempting to jump kick the henchman on the right. He managed to knock him over, but not cause him to go unconscious.

"Hehe haha!" yelled the Penguin. "Batman, these two henchmen have been enhanced. Good luck taking them out!".

Batman quickly realized this could be harder than he thought. He went for the Penguin and received a kick to the back. A pop could be heard when the henchman kicked his back.

"Hmpf" Batman growled, returning the favor and kicking the henchman right in the face. He then quickly knocked the Penguin to the ground. He put on his gas mask and dropped a sleep pellet. The henchmen went to sleep instantly, like babies.

Batman stepped over the Penguin and zip-tied his hands behind his back along with the two henchmen.

By this time, Nightwing had already stopped the large truck and the two henchmen inside. Nightwing headed over to Batman's location and saw the two henchmen and the Penguin tied up on the ground. Batman appeared to be hunched over, which was quite abnormal.

Nightwing walked over to Batman and said "Uh, you alright?".

Batman quickly replied "Yeah, fine." in a very gruff tone.

They both grappled to the nearest building and headed for Wayne Manor.

Once they arrived, Alfred was there to greet them. Alfred quickly noticed Batman hunching over in a sort of hurt fashion. "Master Wayne!" the old butler exclaimed. "What have you done now, sir?" the butler asked.

"I'm fine, Alfred" Batman replied sharply.

"Sir, you don't appear to be. Let me take a look" Alfred responded, taking him into the other room.

Nightwing switched out of his costume and became Richard Grayson, the heir of Bruce Wayne.

Batman took off his cowl and suit, allowing Alfred to see what happened. Alfred quickly took a look at his back, where he was hunched over. Feeling around, Alfred said, "Sir, it appears you haven't broken anything, just pulled a muscle."

"I should be fine, then," Bruce replied, standing up.

"I would recommend taking the night off, sir."

"Fine," the billionaire replied walking out of the room, and up the stairs to the master bedroom.

Once Bruce had left, Dick walked over to Alfred. "Is he alright, Alfred?" he asked.

"He should be fine, Master Richard," replied the butler. "Though it appears he's getting a bit old for this sort of thing," he noted, shaking his head.

* * *

 **Author's End Note** -

Hey there! So you've read the first chapter!

Please review and subscribe to this fanfiction, I promise I won't let you down!

Chapter 2 is on the way, in fact, I have it right here. It'll be posted soon, don't worry!

If you post a review, I will most likely respond to it in my next chapter.


	2. Chapter 2 - The Mantle

**Author's Note** -

Hello there! I appreciate that you've taken the time to read my story! This is the second chapter of the series, and I plan to continue. I hope you enjoy this chapter. Please follow and review if you did! I apologize if this one is shorter, I'd just rather have the next part separated by a chapter.

 **Rating:** T - _This fanfiction contains violence, language, references, etc. which can be considered not suitable for young children. Please proceed with caution if necessary._

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own DC nor Young Justice. All copyrighted material belongs to its respectful owner.

This story takes place in the future when Richard Grayson is around 23 and Bruce Wayne is around 54.

Please note that this story assumes you have watched Young Justice or know the base of the DC Universe.

* * *

 **Reply to Reviews/Comments** -

 _thebats24_ \- Thanks! I'll be sure to keep it up!

* * *

 **[ Chapter 2: The Mantle ]**

Surprisingly, Bruce slept in until 9:00 AM. He usually woke up Dick at five for morning training and exersizes, but no knock at the door came.

"Hm," said Dick, getting up. It was now 9:04 AM and he reminded himself he had no college since it was Summer break.

He walked into the dining room and saw Alfred. "Where's Bruce?" Dick asked, frowning.

"It appears Master Wayne just got up and is eating breakfast in his study." replied Alfred.

"Alright," Dick replied sitting down and taking a bite of his breakfast.

About five minutes later, Alfred approached the man. "Ah, sir, Master Wayne requests your presence in his study," he said.

"Alright, Alfred, I'll be right there," Dick replied, finishing up his breakfast.

Dick grabbed one last bite and then headed up the stairs for Bruce's study. He walked up to the door and knocked.

"Come in!" shouted Bruce from the inside.

Dick walked inside and sat down on the other side of the desk. Bruce was sitting in his normal chair, behind his desk full of papers. Dick assumed most of those were case files and Wayne Enterprises paperwork.

"You requested I come here?" Dick asked, curious.

Bruce looked up from his computer and looked right at Dick. He had that look that Dick hardly ever saw. It was a look of almost concern but serious.

"Ah yes," Bruce said. "I need to speak to you about something," he went on further.

"M'kay," replied Dick, quickly and moving his head down to look straight at Bruce.

"So it seems I'm getting.. well.. a bit too old for this job." Bruce stated.

"What job?" Dick asked.

"I'm getting too old to be Batman," Bruce said quickly.

"Oh.." said Dick.

"I'm fifty-four, Dick. Most men my age would be planning their retirement from a job as a store manager, but I've continued as a crime-fighting vigilante when I probably should've retired a year ago.

"I see." replied Dick.

"And.. well.. Dick, I'd like you to take my place." Bruce said.

"Oh," Dick said slowly.

"I've personally trained you, Dick. You know almost everything I do. I need you to do this not just for me, but for Gotham. Don't get me wrong, Nightwing helps Gotham just fine. It's just that, well, Batman is a symbol to Gotham. A symbol of hope and prosperity. I need someone to continue the symbol." Bruce continued.

Dick nodded in acknowledgement.

"When I was around 22, I started being Batman. I think you're well fit for the job. There isn't anyone else in the world who could do the job as well as you." Bruce said.

Dick nodded again but didn't say anything.

"I don't think I've ever really told you how proud of you I am," Bruce said. Bruce paused for a few seconds, looking at the younger of the two.

"So.. would you become Batman, for Gotham and me?" Bruce asked, almost eager.

Dick had never seen Bruce like this. Bruce seemed to be almost happy and eager for once.

"I'd love to!" Dick exclaimed.

"Great. We'll start training tomorrow. I've trained you to be your own hero, but now you need to be trained to be Gotham's Dark Knight." Bruce stated, almost excited in the beginning.

Richard Grayson wasn't Nightwing anymore, he was the Dark Knight.

* * *

 **Author's End Note** -

Hey there! So you've read the second chapter!

Please review and subscribe to this fanfiction, I promise I won't let you down!

Chapter 3 is on the way, in fact, I have about half of it right here. It'll be posted soon, don't worry!

If you post a review, I will most likely respond to it in my next chapter.


	3. Chapter 3 - Forthcoming

**Author's Note** -

Hello there! I appreciate that you've taken the time to read my story! This is the third chapter of the series, and I plan to continue. I hope you enjoy this chapter. Please follow and review if you did!

 **Rating:** T - _This fanfiction contains violence, language, references, etc. which can be considered not suitable for young children. Please proceed with caution if necessary._

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own DC nor Young Justice. All copyrighted material belongs to its respectful owner.

This story takes place in the future when Richard Grayson is around 23 and Bruce Wayne is around 54.

Please note that this story assumes you have watched Young Justice or know the base of the DC Universe.

* * *

 **Reply to Reviews/Comments** -

 _NoLionsinTokyo_ \- Thanks! I don't think adult Dick would say something like "whelmed" or "aster" since he's around 23 now. I don't know, it just doesn't seem to fit the character much to me. Also, for beta access, I'll most likely be adding that to my site soon. I'll PM you about it when it's up.

* * *

 **[ Chapter 2: Forthcoming ]**

Dick smiled at Bruce and left the study. He couldn't believe he was now the Dark Knight. He went over to his room and decided he'd hang out with Wally for the day.

Later that day -

Dick decided he better go to bed. He'd hung out with his best friend, Wally, for about four hours and trained by himself for two. He decided since it was about 11:00 PM he best be going to bed. Bruce had dismissed night patrol tonight due to him retiring and needing to train Dick to be Batman.

At around 4:00 AM, Dick got up to Bruce knocking on his door.

"Training," Bruce mentioned abruptly, then walked away.

Oh right, today was the day he was going to start training to be Batman. Dick got up excitedly and ran down to the Bat Cave's training area. Bruce was already there waiting for him.

Dick began his training with Bruce and was starting to learn how to be Batman. While he hadn't put the costume on, he knew he would soon. Dick wondered what it'd be like to be Batman, the Dark Knight of Gotham. Fun? somewhat. It would be mostly serious he convinced himself. Nevertheless, he knew he wanted the job.

After more combat training, tool usage, and a bunch of other complicated training sessions, Dick was whooped.

"One more thing to go," Bruce said.

Dick sighed and got up.

"Don't worry, this will be easy. It's Batman's voice." Bruce said, almost grinning.

"As you've seen, I do not use the same voice for when I'm Batman and when I'm Bruce Wayne. You must do this as well, it helps intimidate criminals and keeps your identity safe." Bruce continued.

"So, you've got to talk like this when you're Batman:," said Bruce.

He then used his Batman voice, "I'm Batman."

Dick then tried, "I'm Batman."

"Close, just a bit more like this." said Bruce, giving the example again.

After about thirty minutes, Dick had the voice down. He surprisingly could do it almost perfect.

"I think we're done for the day." said Bruce.

"Alright, thanks, Bruce!" Dick said but did not join Bruce in the elevator back up the elevator.

Before Bruce went up, he said, "Aren't you coming?"

"Uh, well, I thought I'd train a bit more." replied Dick, walking back over to the training area.

"Alright." said Bruce.

Dick spent almost the entire day training to be Batman, even without Bruce. He had the voice down perfect, many of the moves down and was now working on being serious. He knew Batman was serious almost all the time. In order to be Batman, he needed this trait while he was in the suit too.

For the next few days, this was the routine. Bruce would train Dick early in the morning for hours, then Dick would train for the rest of his day, most likely alone, except for when Alfred came down with one of his delicious snacks (usually cookies!). Even though Dick wasn't in the suit, he practiced being serious all the time. He told himself that he didn't want to change his personality, so he'd only be like this when he was in the suit.

For weeks, Dick trained to be Batman, and finally Bruce thought he was ready.

"Dick, I will still be here for you. Know that I was Batman, and will still train or help you if needed. You carry many more responsibilities now. You're part of the Justice League as well." said Bruce.

"Okay, thanks again Bruce." said Dick.

"Will you still be part of the Justice League?" questioned Dick.

"Yes, I will still be part of it, just not fighting. I'll mostly help with security, design, mission plans, etc," said Bruce.

"Just because I'm not Batman doesn't mean I can't fight injustice" he continued.

"Alright. I promise I won't let you down," said Dick.

"While the Justice League probably wouldn't notice if you took my place, I've mentioned that I'm retiring and handing Batman over to you. You will still have my place, but know that you have to keep it." Bruce said.

"I think it's time we put on the suit, don't you?" Bruce said as he walked over to the suit area of the Bat Cave.

"I had Mr. Fox fit the suit to your body, so it should fit and work perfectly," Bruce noted as he clicked the button to open the glass around the suit.

Once Dick had put on the suit, he felt like a new person. He was Batman now, Gotham's Dark Knight. While there were more stress and work, he knew it'd be worth it. He wanted to fight injustice, just like Bruce.

Bruce smiled when he saw Dick come out in the suit. "You look great" Bruce mentioned.

"Thanks," Dick said.

"I've given you full access to the Bat Computer and Justice League computers just as I had before," said Bruce. "I believe I've already briefed you on all of the fail-safes?" Bruce asked.

"Yes," Dick, or Batman said.

"Tonight is your first patrol night," Bruce said.

"I know you'll do great." Bruce continued.

Batman (or Dick) walked over to the Batmobile. He got in and drove out of the Bat Cave and into the night. He began his patrol in the areas where Gotham usually had the most trouble. Dick had done this thousand of times with Batman, and on his own as Nightwing.

He felt different as Batman.. almost changed. He approached a mugger and instantly saw a stroke of severe fear across the man's face. As Nightwing or Robin, he would've never gotten that look. While he was still getting used to his new role, he was pretty successful.

After stopping about six muggings, an attempted drug smuggle, and a robbery, he decided he best call it a night.

But.. I could just give someone a fun visit he thought. Wally, nor any of the team, actually knew he was now Batman. All he had mentioned is that he was going on leave for a while.

He took the nearest Zeta to Central City and grappled on top of a building. He grappled over to his best friends house and found his bedroom. There Wally was, still awake, on his phone.

Batman peaked through the window with his bat glare, another thing he learned from Bruce.

Wally looked over and almost had a heart attack. There Batman, the Dark Knight, was.. sitting in his window giving him the bat glare. He must've done something wrong.. very wrong.. Wally thought. He quickly ran over to the window and opened it.

"Wally West," Batman said in his cold Batman voice.

"Uh.. yes, Batman. You err.. a need something?" Wally said. Batman had always scared Wally, even though he fought injustice like he did.

"We need to have a talk." said Batman, gruffly.

Uh oh, Wally was in deep. What had he done?! He thought back when he'd quit his patrol thirty minutes early for pizza. How did Batman find out? Was it even Batman's job to enforce patrol times for heroes in other cities?

Suddenly, Batman started laughing. An almost.. familiar laugh.

"Uh. what's wrong?" asked Wally, a bit nervous.

"Hey, bro, it's Dick," Batman said, pulling off his mask.

Wally sighed in relief. "Wait, so you took Batman's suit? Bruce is going to be so upset.," said Wally.

"Not exactly," Dick said, going inside Wally's room through the window.

"Dude, you were just like him. You got the voice, the way he looks, how he acts.." said Wally.

"Well.. Wally.. that's because I'm Batman now." Dick said.

"What?!" Wally exclaimed.

"How can you be Batman? What happened to Bruce?" said Wally.

"Bruce retired. He's fifty-four and was getting too old for the job. He needed someone to take his place. I would've taken his place as Nightwing, but Gotham sees Batman has a symbol. He's a symbol of hope and prosperity. He offered me to take his place, and I accepted." Dick said.

"Oh, that's the pretty cool dude." replied Wally.

"Wait, you're not gonna be like Batman now, are you? I can't loose my best friend." Wally mentioned.

"My personality outside of the mask will stay the same, Wally. Don't worry about it." Dick replied, chuckling a little.

"You have to admit though, I scared you pretty good." said Dick.

"NO.. well uh yeah kinda." said Wally smiling a bit as he punched Dick in the arm in a friendly manner.

"Well, I need to head back to Gotham." said Dick.

"Crime doesn't stop for a break." he said in his Batman voice as he went out the window.

"Oh god, he's just like Batman." said Wally, smiling a little.

* * *

 **Author's End Note** -

Hey there! So you've read the third chapter!

Please review and subscribe to this fanfiction, I promise I won't let you down!

Chapter 4 is on the way. If you have any suggestions for the next chapters or the series itself, please let me know. I may eventually run out of ideas which would lead to the series ending.

If you post a review, I will most likely respond to it in my next chapter.


	4. Chapter 4 - Continuation

**Author's Note** -

Hello there! I appreciate that you've taken the time to read my story! This is the fourth chapter of the series, and I plan to continue. I hope you enjoy this chapter. Please follow and review if you did!

I apologize for not getting this out sooner. I've been working on a lot of the website and beta testing for stories on the website as I'm a web developer as well.

 **Rating:** T - _This fanfiction contains violence, language, references, etc. which can be considered not suitable for young children. Please proceed with caution if necessary._

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own DC nor Young Justice. All copyrighted material belongs to its respectful owner.

This story takes place in the future when Richard Grayson is around 23 and Bruce Wayne is around 54.

Please note that this story assumes you have watched Young Justice or know the base of the DC Universe.

* * *

 **Reply to Reviews/Comments** -

 _thebats24_ \- Thanks, I'll be sure to keep up the work =)

 _Guest_ \- I appreciate it and I do plan on continuing.

 _FateofChaos_ \- Thanks! I'll be sure to put more out!

 _NoLionsInTokoyo_ \- I took some of your ideas into consideration, hope you like it!

 _Mireilles3_ \- Thanks! Glad you like it and are reading on!

* * *

 **[ Chapter 4: Continuation ]**

When Batman got back to Gotham he decided he best be calling it a night. He entered the Batcave through the nearest Zeta. He pulled off the mask and saw Bruce there waiting for him. Bruce never waited for him after patrol or even missions unless he needed a debrief.

"How was it?" Bruce asked, almost eager.

There it was again, Bruce being eager. This was very new to Dick.

"It was good," Dick said as he began to take off the suit and change into his civilian clothes.

"Tomorrow you're going to need to meet the Justice League and go up to the watch tower," Bruce said.

"Okay," Dick responded, walking past Bruce. As we walked up the stairs to the Manor he heard Bruce turn back around and continue typing on the Bat Computer. Bruce never stopped fighting injustice, even when he couldn't physically fight it.

It was around 2:00 AM now so if Dick didn't want to be whooped he'd need to get some sleep.

Once he reached his room he changed into some comfortable sleeping clothes and went to sleep.

\- Morning [6:12 AM]

Dick woke up to sunlight for once. Wait, sunlight? Dick thought. He stood up and found out it was indeed bright and sunlight was shining right into his room.

Dick glanced over at his clock wondering what was going on.

"Shit, I overslept!" Dick said, getting up. Bruce would be pissed.. oh wait, it was his responsibility now.

Dick quickly remembered he had a meeting at Wayne Enterprises with Bruce at 6:30. He quickly got dressed and put on a nice suit and tie. He went to his bathroom and did his hair just right, as usual.

Dick went down the stairs fast, almost knocking Alfred over.

"What's got us in a hurry, Master Richard?" Alfred questioned.

"Gotta goes to a meeting at Wayne Enterprises with Bruce and I may be already late," Dick mentioned as he went for the kitchen.

Dick quickly grabbed a cup of coffee Alfred had made for him. Alfred must've known he had the meeting.

After taking a few sips, he grabbed it and brought it to the manor garage with him. He quickly chose a nice car and got in.

\- Later in the meeting

"You see this revenue could potentially turn into ... blah blah blah blah blah." Dick heard as he almost fell asleep.

He had to come to these things since Bruce said it was "Good for him to know how to run the business."

After the meeting, Dick drove back to the manor and prepared to go to the watchtower to meet the Justice League. He put on his suit and headed for the Zeta. He quickly punched in the location and entered his access code and entered.

"Recognized: Batman 02" the Zeta Beam said as Batman appeared in the watchtower.

"Ah, Batman, I ran those scans on the sector B04 as you asked. There were no irregularities found." Cyborg said.

Dick had no idea what he was talking about. "Uh, that's good," he said in his Batman voice.

"Something wrong, Batman?" Cyborg mentioned.

"Nothing," Batman replied, abruptly continuing to wall down the hallway. He'd been in the watchtower before but not with full access. He'd only been allowed guest access and the briefing room.

He walked past an open area where it appeared Wonder Woman and Superman were discussing some sort of attack and what could happen while touching what appeared to be a holo-computer.

"Superman. Wonder Women." Batman said as we walked past.

"Uh, Batman?" Superman said.

Batman paused and turned to Superman. "Yes?" he questioned.

"Something wrong? I'm getting a reading that your vitals are different." Superman mentioned.

"Nothing is wrong," Batman said turning and continuing to walk to the main area.

"That guy is good but odd," Superman commented after Batman had left.

They must not know I am Batman yet. Dick thought. Bruce had said he'd informed them but maybe they thought it'd be a bit later?

He wondered into the main area and looked out the huge glass window. Well, it probably wasn't actually glass considering they're in space. It was most likely some form of force-field technology.

Just as he started to get tired of just sitting in the main area not knowing what to do a voice sounded over the watchtower.

"Code blue. All core Justice League members are requested to be in the meeting room. Repeat: Code blue. All core Justice League members are requested to be in the meeting room."

Interesting, a code blue shouldn't be core Justice League members Dick thought. He headed over to the meeting room anyway.

The tech in the watchtower was way more updated than that of the mountain for that matter Dick noted as he walked past the forcefield identifier which stopped any non-core Justice League members from entering the meeting room.

He just kind of looked at the forcefield for a moment. He hadn't seen this type of technology even in the Batcave.

"Uh, Batman, you alright?" asked Aquaman, walking past him.

"Fine," Batman said walking into the meeting room and sitting down where he'd normally sit as Nightwing.

Superman sat down at one end and just looked at Batman oddly. "Uh, Batman, your seat is right there," Superman mentioned, pointing at the chair at the other end of the table.

Dick had forgotten that Batman always sat at one end of the table, not where Nightwing would.

"Right," Batman said, walking over and sitting down at that end. How had they not figured out it was Dick not Bruce yet? he thought.

"Alright, so what is this meeting about?" Superman questioned.

If Superman didn't know why all the core Leaguers were brought to the meeting room then it must not be an apparent emergency, hence code blue.

The door opened and Bruce Wayne walked into the room. The Justice Leaguers just kind of looked around oddly questioning how Batman was over there yet Bruce Wayne had just walked in.

"What is going on?" asked Superman.

"I called this meeting to introduce the new Batman," Bruce said, sitting down.

"I believe I already informed you of the reasons I cannot be Batman any further and of who will be taking my place." Bruce went on. "Nightwing or Richard Grayson will be taking my place as Batman from now on."

The Justice Leaguers began clapping.

"Welcome to the Justice League, Richard!" Superman said.

* * *

 **Author's End Note** -

Hey there! So you've read the fourth chapter!

Please review and subscribe to this fanfiction, I promise I won't let you down!

Chapter 5 is on the way if I can get more ideas. If you have any suggestions for the next chapters or the series itself, please let me know. I may eventually run out of ideas which would lead to the series ending.

If you post a review, I will most likely respond to it in my next chapter.


End file.
